Cost of living comparison
compared to
Busan vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
Busan is 12.8% more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.7% more in Busan
- Groceries
-
pay 8.8% more in Busan
- Transportation
-
pay 7.2% more in Busan
- Housing
-
pay 6.2% more in Busan
- Childcare
-
pay 7.6% more in Busan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.2% more in Busan
- Clothing
-
pay 23.1% more in Busan
The cost of restaurants, clothing, entertainment and sports, groceries, childcare, and transportation in Busan are more expensive than in South Korea.
Busan vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Busan instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 24.7% more for restaurants
|
South Korea
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.72
₩9,920
|
$7.08
₩10,442
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.50
₩8,112
|
$6.01
₩8,876
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.47
₩2,164
|
$1.83
₩2,702
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.82
₩1,217
|
$1.31
₩1,939
|
|
South Korea vs. Busan - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.8% more for groceries
|
South Korea
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.87
₩4,241
|
$3.18
₩4,699
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.63
₩8,301
|
$5.09
₩7,518
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.67
₩11,326
|
$8.15
₩12,030
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.84
₩4,186
|
$2.88
₩4,253
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.34
₩4,923
|
$3.59
₩5,305
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.24
₩4,775
|
$3.69
₩5,447
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.39
₩2,048
|
$1.44
₩2,131
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.80
₩4,127
|
$3.33
₩4,917
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.40
₩3,548
|
$2.30
₩3,391
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.78
₩2,630
|
$2.25
₩3,315
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.20
₩1,777
|
$1.46
₩2,155
|
|
South Korea vs. Busan - Cost of groceries
pay 7.2% more for transportation
|
South Korea
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.40
₩6,494
|
$4.36
₩6,434
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$47.17
₩69,616
|
$56.60
₩83,535
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,440.41
₩39,019,698
|
$26,696.92
₩39,398,244
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.33
₩12,296
|
$9.06
₩13,366
|
|
South Korea vs. Busan - Cost of transportation
pay 6.2% more for housing
|
South Korea
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$21.68
₩32,001
|
$28.30
₩41,768
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$473.91
₩699,370
|
$489.40
₩722,230
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$357.19
₩527,120
|
$306.61
₩452,481
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.53
₩195,586
|
$139.76
₩206,245
|
|
South Korea vs. Busan - Cost of housing
pay 7.6% more for childcare
|
South Korea
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$378.52
₩558,610
|
$471.71
₩696,125
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,055.40
₩22,218,164
|
$13,620.52
₩20,100,612
|
|
South Korea vs. Busan - Cost of childcare
pay 12.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Korea
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.12
₩4,602
|
$3.54
₩5,221
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.57
₩5,265
|
$4.00
₩5,900
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.18
₩4,699
|
$3.18
₩4,699
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.86
₩73,581
|
$57.31
₩84,579
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.12
₩14,932
|
$10.97
₩16,185
|
|
South Korea vs. Busan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.1% more for clothing
|
South Korea
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$66.46
₩98,079
|
$99.06
₩146,186
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.68
₩74,796
|
$61.91
₩91,366
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$72.74
₩107,346
|
$76.06
₩112,250
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.23
₩152,349
|
$120.29
₩177,512
|
|
South Korea vs. Busan - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Busan or South Korea. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.